How I Got a Whole Outfit for Under $40

I am the type of person who loves to find really cute and unique pieces of clothing but, not pay a ridiculous amount of money for it. So, yes I am that person who heads straight to the clearance rack when I enter a store. Unless, I have a coupon or gift card of course. I want to share with you all how I got this whole outfit for under $40 and how you can get it too! (Yes, including the shoes!)

First off, anyone who knows me knows I basically live at American Eagle. The thing I like to do is always pay attention to their new releases. When I find an article of clothing I like, I’ll keep an eye on it. The reason I do this is because American Eagle always has either a bunch of sales going on or the piece of clothing you like will most likely end up in the clearance area. Granted American Eagle always has nice clothes and I’d love to buy everything right away, but I can’t afford the new price tag on a college budget.

In this outfit, I did purchase the dress and shoes from American Eagle. The dress originally retailed for $45, but you can now purchase it for $17.98. The shoes I purchased were originally retailed for $30, but I got them for $12.99. So, originally just the dress and the shoes would have cost me $75, but I only spent $31. It’s always such a thrill for me to find nice clothes I actually adore and get an amazing deal on them. Unfortunately, the shoes I bought sold out online, but I have included a link below for a similar pair that stays under the $40 budget!

The last component I added to help tie this outfit together was a little over the shoulder bag. I’ve always been a sucker for over the shoulder bags. Not only does it help me keep my hands free of stuff, but I also don’t have to worry about the purse constantly sliding down my arms. I was able to snag this bag from Forever 21 for only $5! Originally the bag was marked for $13. They had a whole bin in the clearance section full of them. Speaking of Forever 21, this is another place I like to hunt for clothes because they have basically any piece of clothing you can imagine and most of the time they are fairly priced. Again, unfortunately I couldn’t find this exact bag online, but I did find one similar that stays under budget as well!

The clearance section is always a little gold mine and you can find so much in it. If I had bought all of these pieces at retail price I would have spent $88, but I only ended up spending $36. I saved a total of $52. I hope this all can help you save money and realize you can find cute outfits for cheap. I have included the links below so that you can purchase this similar outfit for under $40 as well!